The Burning
A Maeve Kerrigan Mystery by Jane Casey
Review: Detective Constable Maeve Kerrigan is assigned to an on-going investigation into identifying a serial killer, but she's not convinced the latest victim fits the pattern, in The Burning, the first mystery in this series by Jane Casey.
The press have labeled the killer "The Burning Man" since all of the young woman murdered to date have had their bodies set on fire. There are no clues left at the scene of the crime, and all the police have to go on is a psychological profile: a man between the ages of 38 and 45 years old, but not a sexual predator; his thrill comes from stalking and then killing women. A fifth woman has been found, Rebecca Haworth, and though everything points to her being a victim of the Burning Man, Maeve has her doubts. Everyone she questions tells her that Rebecca was a wonderful person, without faults. No one would hurt her. Still, Maeve can't help but believe there's far more to Rebecca's life than she's being told and thinks someone has mimicked the Burning Man's highly publicized method of murder to cover up a different crime. But her colleagues think otherwise, that Maeve is diverting their investigation away from real killer.
The author does a fine job of balancing the introduction of a new character with a solidly developed murder investigation. Though Maeve Kerrigan is a delight as a woman in a male-dominated profession, this premise is hardly original and is wearing a bit thin. Fortunately, the storyline is strong enough to compensate for some of the obvious clichéd situations that present themselves.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Burning.
Acknowledgment: Minotaur Books provided a copy of The Burning for this review.
Review Copyright © 2011 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Location(s) referenced in The Burning: England
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The Burning by Jane Casey
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-10: 0-312-61417-9
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-61417-1
Publication Date: August 2011
List Price: $24.99
Synopsis (from the publisher): The Burning Man. It’s the name the media has given a brutal murderer who has beaten four young women to death before setting their bodies ablaze in secluded areas of London’s parks. And now there’s a fifth.
Maeve Kerrigan is an ambitious detective constable, keen to make her mark on the murder task force. Her male colleagues believe Maeve’s empathy makes her weak, but the more she learns about the latest victim, Rebecca Haworth, from her grieving friends and family, the more determined Maeve becomes to bring her murderer to justice. But how do you catch a killer no one has seen when so much of the evidence has gone up in smoke?